Strange Events on the Infamous Day

We approach the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack of 1941. In preparing to talk with some students about WWII, the number of telling events which occurred on the fateful day is, in retrospect, remarkable. Naturally, retrospect is the clearest way to see things, is it not? So I present some facts over the next few days which may or may not be new to you.

     Torpedo nets protected Pearl Harbor as a matter of course and to gain access to the harbor, the nets had to be lowered. 

     The destroyer, U.S.S. Ward (DD-139), an old four-stacker, patrolled the waters outside the harbor during the 0600 hours of 7 December. They spied the U.S.S. Astoria slowly making it's way in to the harbor, through the now dropped torpedo nets. Amazingly, directly behind the Astoria, was the conning tower of a mini-submarine.
     The Ward went to general quarters and closed quickly. It's number three five-inch gun sent the first round fired by the U.S. in the war directly at the conning tower, but it sailed just high. The second shot     found it's mark, catching the craft at the joint of the conning tower and hull. The shot sunk the vessel (recovered years later).

     The Ward served for three more years to the day, 7 December 1944, when a kamikaze attack sunk her in the Leyte Gulf.

The U.S.S. Astoria (Nasty Asty) was sunk off Savo Island, supporting the Marine operations on Guadalcanal in July 1942.